AFP: Violence raging in troubled Haiti is forcibly displacing one child every minute, on average, with some 300,000 already affected, the United Nations children’s agency warned on Monday.
Displaced children account for more than half of the 600,000 people who have been forced to flee their homes due to violence, according to UNICEF, particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince, much of which is controlled by gangs.
“The number of internally displaced children in Haiti has increased by an estimated 60 percent since March — the equivalent of one child every minute — a result of ongoing violence caused by armed groups,” it said in a report. Haiti has long been rocked by gang violence, but conditions sharply worsened at the end of February when armed groups launched coordinated attacks in Port-au-Prince, saying they wanted to overthrow then-prime minister Ariel Henry.
“Children in Haiti continue to endure an onslaught of multiple dangers, including horrific violence and critical levels of displacement,” said UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell. “The humanitarian catastrophe unfolding before our eyes is taking a devastating toll on children. Displaced children are in desperate need of a safe and protective environment, and increased support and funding from the international community.”